THEO VAN GOGH NEWS: Top of the Agenda – China’s Ambassador to U.S. Warns of Continued Consequences Over Taiwan
During a press briefing in Washington, China’s ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, accused the United States (Politico) of “changing the status quo” in the Taiwan Strait and condemned U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan. He warned of “another round of tensions” (Axios) if the United States does not “show restraint,” suggesting that Beijing has no plans to reverse its suspension of military-to-military talks and climate cooperation with Washington.

The United States plans to send naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks, which Qin said it should “refrain” from doing. Meanwhile, Chinese troops will travel to Russia (Reuters) for the so-called Vostok military exercises with countries including Belarus, India, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. China’s defense ministry said the exercises are “unrelated to the current international and regional situation.”
Analysis
“Now that China has demonstrated its will and ability to use its increasingly capable military farther afield, deterrence must be re-established. This calls for strengthening Taiwan’s ability to resist any Chinese use of force, increasing US and Japanese military presence and coordination, and explicitly pledging to come to Taiwan’s defense if necessary,” CFR President Richard Haass writes.

“Now that the damage is done, it is imperative to focus on what comes out of this crisis. It is not inevitable that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is locked into a path of permanent deterioration,” the Brookings Institution’s Ryan Hass writes for Foreign Affairs.

 

This timeline traces U.S.-China relations.